


Set My Heart on Fire

by EggiestEgglord



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternative Universe - Flowershop, Alternative Universe - Modern Setting, Elemental Magic, M/M, Trans Lance, Witch AU, alternative universe, non-binary Pidge, there's a magic flowershop, they/them pronouns for Pidge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2018-11-12 08:30:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11158113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EggiestEgglord/pseuds/EggiestEgglord
Summary: If Lance kisses anyone he'll die. Understandably, this is a problem he'd very much like to fix, even if just to stop Pidge from mocking him- which is how he ends up on the doorstep of Keith Kogane, a man he hasn't seen since his mysterious disappearance several years ago, in the hope that maybe he has the cure. Except Keith can't remember him and seems to have even less of an idea of how to lift his stupid curse than he does.





	1. Rainy days are here again

**Author's Note:**

> okay so this au was like lowkey made up... so quick explanation cuz I realised it probs doesn't make much sense. Basically it's a modern day au but with witches (only a few people are witches- like 20-30% of the population or smth). There are several different types of witches which have powers unique to the type of witch they are (usually elemental, like fire or earth). If you're a witch you're born with the witches' mark- basically the voltron 'V' on the back of your neck. Once your magic manifests, normally around when puberty first hits, your mark will change colour to match the type of witch you are. 
> 
> ahahahaa how did I even get this idea I am so sorry anyway please enjoy my self indulgent fic love you all <3

It started in the rain.

Night had fallen hours ago and the stars were obscured by thick clouds. Raindrops fell from the dark sky and exploded against umbrellas and heads and concrete, sticking to eyelashes and trickling off roofs.

The city glowed a pale blue, shimmering through the wet weather. Among it all, alone on an empty street, two people jumped in puddles, their laughter rising above the rain.

“I haven’t had this much fun in years!”

Lance looked across at the girl whose hand he was holding with a grin on his dripping face. She gazed back at him, a blush riding high on her cheeks, and Lance found himself laughing again.

“I know right? My friend Shiro keeps telling me puddle jumping is immature or something, but he just doesn’t know what he’s missing.”

Nyma giggled and tugged at Lance’s hand, sending them tumbling into another puddle. Lance’s hands found Nyma’s waist as she was thrown off balance and he caught her smoothly. Water splashed up his jeans and into his shoes. He’d never felt happier in his life.

He looked down at Nyma, barely three inches between them. He could count the raindrops clinging to her lashes.

“You’re beautiful,” he breathed.

“And you’re going down.”

“Wait- what?”

Suddenly, Nyma twisted and threw Lance over her shoulder onto the hard concrete, pinning him down with her knees and 70 kg of pure muscle. The air fled from his lungs upon impact, leaving him breathless.

Struggling pathetically, he turned his head so that his cheek was pressed into a puddle instead of his face, and watched with horror as fiery ropes materialised in her hands.

“Sorry Lance,” she sneered, yanking Lance's arms up behind his back and proceeding to tie them together, “puddle jumping was fun, but I have better things to do with my time.”

“Wha- Why…?”

Nyma cut over him, “I’ll take this!”

She reached into his pocket and took out his wallet.

“And this!”

She reached into his other pocket and took out his phone.

“And any magical protections you have on you right now.”

Lance pouted and pressed himself further into the ground. Talk about adding insult to injury.

“I don't have any.”

Nyma paused and for a moment the ropes binding Lance burned hot.

“What?”

“Ow! Fuck- I don’t have any magical protections, or charms, or anything! My magic hasn’t manifested yet… if it ever will. So, can you stop with the fire stuff now? Please?”

“But… you have the witches’ mark,” Nyma said slowly, though her voice was unsure.

“Does my mark look coloured to you?”

Warm fingers brushed Lance’s neck and pulled down the collar of his jacket, exposing the grey V-shaped mark on the nape of his neck. All witches had the exact same mark, though once their magic manifested it changed colour to match their type of witchcraft. Lance had checked his mark in the mirror everyday, though it had always stayed a stubborn, magicless, grey.

“Oh.”

The burning eased, but only slightly. Lance was suddenly incredibly grateful for the rain because it hid the tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes (those ropes really hurt, okay?). Nyma was looking down at him in disgust.

“Great. So your power hasn’t even manifested yet. What are you, twelve?” She huffed and tossed her hair elegantly over a shoulder. “If I’d known that earlier, I wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of dating you. What a waste of my time.”

“Wow. Thanks. I’m touched.”

Nyma sighed and stood up, one foot still pressing down on Lance’s back. “Well, at least I got some free cash out of this. Bye, Lance.”

“Nyma, wait!”

To Lance’s surprise, she did. For a moment they were both perfectly still as the rain fell around them and Lance struggled with what he was supposed to do next. He hadn't thought this far ahead. Then Nyma crouched down, one hand pressing into the concrete by Lance’s face and the other coming up to cup his cheek. When she spoke, Lance could feel her breath tickling his skin.

“Consider this my parting gift.”

Nyma’s lips pressed against his cheek, barely brushing his skin, and the ropes on his skin suddenly burned like ice, sharp and numbing, almost unbearable. Lance gasped, his eyes watering, and Nyma pulled away with a satisfied smirk.

“See you around, Lance.”

The pressure on Lance’s cheek was released and the pain vanished as quickly as it had come. Water splattered across his face as Nyma walked away. He rolled over fully and sat up, calling after her desperately and struggling against his bonds, wincing at the faint sting.

“Come back! Come on, you haven’t untied me!”

But Nyma had already vanished, leaving Lance sitting alone in the empty street as water sleeted down on him; phoneless, walletless, and helpless. Not to mention tied up in magic flames.

The rain no longer seemed quite so romantic.

 

_________________________

 

The Holt family had owned the Kerberos flower shop for as long as anyone could remember. Supposedly, it had been in their family for generations. The shop acted as both floristry and home for Pidge and Matt Holt, the only surviving members of their family, who lived in the apartment upstairs.

The shop was small and bright, a happy mess of plants and flowers and faded green paint peeling off the walls. Daisies and poppies bloomed from windowsills and out of the cracked concrete outside, and hydrangeas overflowed from their planters and spilled out onto the floor below. The walls were strewn with thin vines which crept up all the way to the second floor. Someone, probably Matt, had decorated them with fairy lights.

Even to the untrained eye, the shop was clearly brimming with magic. The Holt family had always specialised in plant-based witchcraft. It probably ran in their blood or something, just like the shop ran in the family. Both Pidge and Matt’s magic had manifested long before either of them reached adolescence, to no-one’s surprise.

There were giant venus flytraps pushed into the corners of the room (Pidge had once dared Lance to stick his head in one as a joke), flowers that changed colour proudly on display by the counter, and seeds for things only plant witches had heard of before. There were even small succulents that grew chocolate buttons and a cactus that created a wifi signal on the back wall. Lance’s favourite was a tree that had grown right through the floor and out the roof again but couldn’t be seen from outside the shop. Where did it go? Hell if he knew.

Over the years, the shop had become like a second home to many people, including Lance. He knew the place like the back of his hand. If asked, he could probably point out all the plants that were likely to try and kill him with little difficulty. He wouldn’t be surprised if Pidge started demanding he pay rent, for all the many hours he spent there. Most days would often find Shiro and Hunk (Lance’s best friend) in the small shop as well. They would crowd the counter at the back of the floristry to talk and play Uno. Pidge always won. _Always_.

 

Lance sat at that counter now, dripping all over the floor and still struggling against the ropes of fire that bound his wrists. By some miracle, Lance’s incident had happened barely a few blocks away. After pulling himself together, he had been able to stumble to his feet and make his way to the flower shop.

Shiro and Pidge were sitting opposite him, looking pitying (Shiro, mostly) and amused (Pidge) as Lance recounted his story. It was a good retelling, Lance thought. Good drama always made a good story, and Lance had always fancied himself as a bit of a story teller. So what if Lance added in a few bits, like a rooftop fight with Nyma complete with circling helicopters, screaming bystanders and a dragon. That was just the direction his creative flow had taken him.

As soon as he had finished Shiro sighed deeply.

“Only you, Lance.”

“She was just so perfect… How was I to know she’d rob me?”

Lance knew he sounded pathetic, but hey- he was in emotional turmoil and recovering from a bad breakup (was that even what is was though?). If Lance wasn’t tied up with fire ropes from hell and in need of someone to vent to, he’d be sitting in his crappy apartment right now, eating ice cream from the tub and watching Netflix.

“What did she take?” Pidge asked curiously.

“My wallet, my phone and my dignity.”

“Oh, so nothing important then.”

That put a stop to Lance’s emotional turmoil. He glared at Pidge with all the annoyance he could muster but Pidge pretended not to notice. They were examining a tiny green caterpillar crawling across their fingers, disinterested in Lance’s sob story now they knew he was okay.

“Lance, I don’t want to tell you how to live your life-” Shiro started. He paused mid sentence as a large purple butterfly came to rest on his head. It flapped its wings once and took off again. Shiro’s eyes followed it across the room before flitting his attention back to Lance. “-but… sorry, what was I saying?”

“Why are you guys more interested in bugs than me and my problems? You could at least pretend to be concerned,” Lance huffed, snapping his fingers in front of Shiro’s face to draw his focus away from the butterfly again.

“Sorry Lance, but if you’d listened to us the last few times situations like this happened, you wouldn’t be in this mess at all. You need to be more careful- especially with your… circumstances.”

Lance looked away, pretending not to hear Shiro’s last comment, though it had felt like a punch to the gut.

“Shiro, please,” Lance said, working hard to keep the tremble out of his voice. ”That’s very touching- but I didn’t come here to listen to your lecture. I need a little help here. She tied me up with these weird, fire-witch rope things.”

Lance turned his back to Shiro and waggled his shoulders, putting his bound arms on display. Shiro leant in to examine the ropes curiously. It gave Lance a moment to compose himself, and if Shiro noticed and took a few seconds longer than he needed to, Lance wasn’t complaining.

Eventually, he heard Shiro suck in a sharp breath through his teeth and his heart dropped.

“I can remove these for you,” he said, reaching across with his Galra arm to lightly touch Nyma’s ropes, “but I can’t remove the burns… or the curse.”

“There’s a _curse_?”

A sizzling noise came from behind him and a moment later the ropes exploded into a cloud of stardust. His hands were free again. Shiro patted his shoulder in what he probably thought to be a reassuring way.

“Nothing major. You’ll just combust next time you try kissing someone.”

Oh, _hell_ no. Lance rested his head on the counter and groaned loudly, avoiding Shiro’s exasperated gaze and Pidge’s shit-eating grin. Beside him, a vine slithered out of one of Pidge’s pot-plants and poked his head, tangling up in his hair when he didn’t move.

“Please tell me that’s just a figure of speech.”

“Nope,” Shiro said lightly. “You’ll literally burst into flames.”

As if this night could get any worse. Lance stared at Shiro in horrified silence but he only shrugged apologetically. Lance didn’t think Shiro was taking this as seriously as he should be.

Pidge said, “Y’know, the more I hear about this Nyma person, the more I like her.”

Lance made a small noise of indignation at the back of his throat and reached across the counter to smack Pidge upside the head, but Shiro stopped him before he could. Pidge snickered quietly as they slithered away out of Lance’s reach.

Giving up, Lance threw himself over the counter dramatically, an arm thrown across his face. “This is so unfair! I swear, I’m the only one in this stupid coven who hasn’t got their magic yet, yet it’s always me who gets cursed. _Always_.”

“That’s not that surprising, though.”

“You shut up, Pidge!”

There was a tinkling of wind chimes and the muffled sound of the rain outside strengthened for a moment then died away as the front door opened and closed. Pidge’s older brother, Matt, stumbled into the shop holding six shopping bags and looking like he’d just emerged from the sea.

“I hope you guys are hungry because I just bought twelve noodle dishes and a cheesecake.” Matt paused in the doorway and smiled in greeting. “Oh, hey Lance! I thought you were on a date tonight.”

“Matt!”

Before Lance could launch into his second retelling of the Worst Date Ever, Shiro crossed the room and took the bags from his boyfriend, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Matt turned beet red behind his large glasses, despite having been dating Shiro for the last six months.

Lance thought it was cute, even if it only helped to remind him of his curse. God, it had barely been five minutes but he was already getting jealous of Shiro and _Matt_. Pidge was right, he really was pathetic.

Meanwhile, Pidge was miming throwing up behind Shiro’s back. Speak of pathetic…

Shiro walked back past them, shooting Pidge a bemused look, and made his way upstairs to the apartment with the bags of food. Matt struggled out of his coat and left it draped over a giant venus flytrap, which snapped at his arm when he withdrew.

“So what’ve I missed?”

“Lance’s going to die.”

Matt walked straight into the shop’s resident tree and yelped, his eyes watering as he hopped on one foot, clutching his toe. “What? Again?”

Lance rounded on Pidge angrily, brandishing a finger like a weapon.

“Hey, that’s only if I kiss someone. Which I won’t.”

“Oh, please,” Pidge scoffed, brushing Lance off easily. “I bet you won’t last a week.”

“I will too!”

“My money’s on three days,” Shiro said, coming back downstairs.

Matt nodded. “Yup. Three days,”

“I texted Hunk. He says five.”

Lance opened his mouth to retort, then paused. Upon close reconsideration, he realised his friends probably had a point.

If there was one thing on this godforsaken world Lance was good at, it was kissing, and he liked people to know it; girls, boys, everything between, and everything off the gender spectrum altogether (excluding Pidge because that would just be weird… though come to think of it, he did excessively give Pidge forehead kisses).

Lance wasn’t sure how he’d hold up without kissing for the rest of his life. He’d probably go into denial, cave in and smother someone. Which would kill him. But worse than that, he’d never be able to kiss Allura, the most beautiful witch to ever grace the earth with her presence.

It was then that Lance realised the full gravity of the situation.

“I need to get rid of this curse, pronto.”

“You can’t,” Pidge said, adjusting their glasses and fixing Lance with a despairing look. “You’d need another fire witch to undo a curse like that and the only one we know is Nyma, who clearly isn’t an option seeing as she did us all a favour and put this curse on you in the first place. Even you should know that, Lance.”

“Hey, that was uncalled for,” Lance whined indignantly.

“Walk in on your friend sucking face with some stranger over your peonies and then tell me it was uncalled for.”

“You know what? I don’t need negativity like this in my life. Matt, tell your sibling to chill the fuck out.”

They both turned to Matt who had been trying to slip past them to staircase. He froze mid step, his hands raised as if in surrender. “Uh, I actually left my… um… my cauldron on the stove upstairs, so I’m just gonna-”

He turned on his heel and sprinted up the narrow staircase which creaked in protest.

They watched him go; Lance with a sour pout on his face, Pidge with an innocent smile. Shiro just looked exasperated. Matt had been caught between their scuffles far too many times not to know any better by now.

“Coward.”

“Hey,” Shiro said suddenly. “I think I might know someone who can help,”

Lance turned to Shiro in shock.

“Someone who can help fix Pidge’s attitude? Shiro, you gorgeous creature! Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

“Not that. I know a fire witch who can fix your burns and curse.”

Pidge and Lance exchanged sideways glances. They didn’t know anyone inside or outside of their coven who had fire-based magic as fire witches were incredibly rare, which meant that this witch must be someone from Shiro’s _Mysterious Dark Past_.

Shiro had never liked to talk about himself much, so no-one, not even his boyfriend, knew more than a few fragments of his life from before he joined the coven. Lance could practically feel curiosity creeping in under his skin, like an itch he couldn’t quite scratch.

“You know a fire witch?” Pidge asked, and from the eager tone in their voice, he knew that they were just as curious as he was.

Shiro shrugged and scratched the back of his neck, smiling as if remembering some happy memory. “We were fostered together for a few years back when I was a kid. We still catch up with each other now and again.”

“And they’ll be able to remove the curse?”

“I can’t see why not.”

Lance whooped and punched the air.

“Take that, Pidge! Right, let’s go. Where did you say they lived?”

“Lance, we’re not going right now. It’s getting late.”

Lance wilted, enthusiasm dying as quickly as it had come. Pidge smirked at him and stuck their tongue out- the epitome of maturity. Why did Lance have to have such cruel friends?

“Please Shiro, I’m desperate.”

“Well, you can wait a few hours more. Besides, I think we all want to make the most of this curse.”

Lance pouted. “I’m going to act like I didn’t hear that.”

“So, this fire witch,” Pidge interrupted, turning the course of conversation back away from Lance. “Who are they? Are they any good?”

Shiro smiled. “The best. He’s pretty reserved. He likes to live alone, I think. Self taught, too.”

Lance could feel his interest pique. In his mind’s eye, Shiro’s words painted a picture of a tall, mysterious stranger, wreathed in fire. Lance also added in a few details where Shiro’s description left gaps, for example; great hair, cute face and nice ass (shut up. Lance was a raging bisexual, guilty as charged).

“What’s his name?” He needled.

“Keith. Keith Kogane”

“Wait… the incredibly rare and talented fire witch's name is _Keith_?!”

Shiro stood up, stretching a little. He reached out to ruffle both Pidge and Lance’s hair and laughed as they glared at him.

“Well, I think we should go upstairs and have dinner before it goes cold. Matt didn’t go out in that weather for nothing.”

Pidge nodded and stood up too, following behind Shiro as he walked upstairs. Lance was left sitting alone at the counter, staring after them with his mouth hanging open in an unflattering way.

“But… _Keith_?”


	2. someone help this boy

The morning after the Worst Date Ever left Lance with a disgustingly full stomach, breath that smelt like cheesecake, a sudden unwanted awareness of his own fragile mortality, and a consoling pot plant from Matt.

Also, the address of the one and only, highly esteemed, _Keith_.

Needless to say, this was not how Lance had seen his weekend going this time yesterday.

Lance was in an unfamiliar part of the city and had been for the last half hour. The place was… disquietingly peaceful. Bare trees shivered on either side of the road, which was empty aside from the odd parked car. Puddles left behind from the previous night’s rain littered the concrete in patches, reflecting the grey sky. Lance kicked his foot into one as he passed by out of habit.

He turned down a side street, Matt’s pot plant tucked safely under an arm, and frowned at the note in his hand. According to Shiro’ instructions, he was nearby Keith’s house. That didn’t sit well with Lance. He eyed the street he was on, critically examining everything from the neat lawns to the cookie cutter houses. It just didn’t seem right that a fire witch would live somewhere so… domestic? He’d expected a fortress and booby traps- not the house of ‘the girl next door’.

He found the house matching the address Shiro had written for him that morning and cast his eyes over it warily. It was almost exactly the same as every other house on that street; painted white, with a neat lawn out the front and barely any plants. Except when he looked more closely he was able to identify subtle things out of place- like the motorbike in the driveway, the ‘Beware of the Cat’ sign, and the dragon-head door knocker (tacky).

Lance cautiously approached the door, trying to peek into the windows for signs of life. Shiro hadn’t lied to him, right? Surely this wasn’t the house of a fire witch. He refused to use the atrocious door knocker and instead rapped hard against the wood.

After twenty four seconds (Lance counted, fingers twitching nervously) the door swung open. A young man was standing in the doorway glaring up at him. There was a witch’s hat pulled down over his dark hair which had been tied up into a short ponytail.

Definitely Keith then. Shiro had given him the right address after all. And- wow- he was really, really cute. Lance’s brain short-circuited.

“Uh… Hi?” Keith asked, glare melting into confusion as he looked Lance up and down.

Wait.

That voice … Lance felt like he’d been winded. It was that lost feeling of forgetting the words to his favourite song, or the name of an old friend. Something was weirdly familiar about Keith that Lance couldn’t quite place. He _knew_ this man, or at least who he was. But how?

He stood awkwardly on Keith’s porch without replying to the greeting, staring unabashed at the man in his full, five foot, glory. He looked like he’d only just rolled out of bed, wearing an oversized red shirt over briefs and bearing a tiny smear of toothpaste on his upper lip.

And he was so familiar…

The memory hit him like a heart attack. Shit, how could he have ever forgotten that distasteful mullet? Lance felt his cheeks reddening as realisation dawned.

“Oh my god- It’s _you_!”

Keith looked taken aback, leaning away from Lance like he thought he might be crazy.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“You’re that guy that I… you came to my friend’s flower shop…?”

Lance trailed off, disconcerted and frustrated by Keith’s blank expression.

Keith blinked owlishly at him and _damn_  those eyes. “Uh, no offense, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh.” Lance backtracked furiously. “Oh, my bad. Mistook you for someone else, ha. Sorry about that.”

He had definitely not mistaken Keith for somebody else. Yes, it had taken him far longer than it should've to recognise the guy, but that was just because it was so out of context. This was the last place he’d expect to run into him again, if ever, and they’d both changed so much in the last few years it was as if they were different people.

But why hadn’t Keith remembered him yet, hadn’t come to his senses, like Lance had? Lance wanted to yell at him, make Keith remember. However, Lance’s already wounded pride would never heal if Lance admitted to Keith exactly how he knew him.

 _Remember what you’re here for, Lance_.

“Okay…” Keith started to close the door. “Bye…?”

“No, wait!”

Lance caught the door just before it shut and held it in place, looking through the crack at Keith with the most suffering expression he could muster while blushing like a teenager. Keith scowled back at him, clearly unconvinced.

“If you’re selling something, I’m broke and not interested.”

“I swear I’m not. I need your help. Shiro sent me.”

The effect Shiro’s name had on Keith was unmistakable. His hands slackened on the door and Lance nearly fell face first into Keith’s house as it swung open under Lance’s weight. Keith just stared blankly at him, mouth parted in surprise.

“You know Shiro?”

“Uh, yeah?” Lance smirked at Keith’s reaction, indifferent to the fact that he himself was clinging to the doorframe for support. “He’s practically my dad. Anyway, I have this curse a fire witch put on me and Shiro said you could help. Please?”

Keith hesitated before replying, his hands coming up to adjust his witch’s hat. He looked doubtful still and a bit pissed off. Lance could guess why- the sun had barely risen and a stranger (or so he seemed to think) had randomly turned up on his doorstep asking for magic help. Lance supposed he could have planned this better.

“I don’t even know who you are,” Keith pointed out.

Lance wanted to scream in Keith’s face that he _did_ know him, to somehow slap sense into Keith’s pretty face, but he let it slide.

“The name’s Lance.”

“Okay… _Lance_. Give me one good reason why I should trust you. I don’t exactly advertise that I’m a witch.”

“Did I mention Shiro?”

Keith looked exasperated. He rolled his eyes and Lance felt frustration building up in him. Why couldn’t Keith just help him? Then Lance could leave and forget everything Keith related for ever, including certain events that Keith had conveniently forgotten.

“Yeah, you did. My foster brother whom I haven’t seen since I was sixteen. He’s not the best foundation to build trust on.”

“Um…” Lance thought hard and came up with nothing. Desperately, he said, “because I’m cute, bi, and I don’t want to die…?”

For a moment Lance was sure Keith was going to punch him. His face went bright red and he opened his mouth a few times, uselessly trying to form words. Finally he shook his head and stood back, turning back into his house.

“Fine, I’ll help with your curse or whatever. Come in- but touch _nothing_.”

“Oh my god,” Lance muttered to himself, leaving his plant on the doorstep and stepping over the threshold into Keith’s doorway. “I can’t believe that worked.”

“Neither can I,” Keith called back to him and Lance could practically hear the sneer in his voice.

Lance opened his mouth to retort, but his attention was snatched away by the sight that met him when he entered the house.

There were hundreds of runes scratched all over the doors and walls of Keith’s modest, suburban home. There had to be nearly a thousand of them, all slightly different and all with different purposes, though Lance could only recognise a few.

He was unused to seeing runes as Hunk, Pidge and Matt all preferred using potions and Shiro was… well Shiro was a special case. The only other person he knew who used runes was Allura and she wouldn’t let anyone look at hers, not even Coran. Necromancy was not magic to be toyed with.

Despite Keith’s warning, Lance found his hand outstretched, fingertips an inch away from just brushing against the wall, feeling the raw magic it held for himself...

“Are you coming or not,” Keith called from deep within the house.

Lance jumped and tore his eyes away from the runes with difficulty, hurrying after Keith’s voice.

He found him in a bedroom near the back of the house, rummaging through a large chest of drawers. There were runes all over the walls and floor of this room too, covering every available surface.

Lance watched Keith’s back admiringly as he dug deeper into a draw, cursing under his breath.

“So, do you always invite strangers into your bedroom, or am I just special?”

Keith jerked up so hard that his head slammed into the drawer above him with a painful bang. He stumbled back, clutching his head, his face bright red and eyes watering.

“Fuck, d- don’t sneak up on me like that,” he spluttered. “And no, I- it’s just, you- just-”

“Chill, man,” Lance interrupted, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye and fighting down his laughter (Keith’s reaction had been priceless). “I was just kidding. Besides, you’d have to take me out to dinner first.”

“Oh.”

Keith looked about ready to die. Lance decided out of the goodness of his heart to take pity on him and change the subject.

“What were you looking for, anyway?”

“Chalk.” Keith looked down bashfully at his bare legs and if it was possible for his face to get any redder, it did. “And pants.”

“Aw,” Lance crooned teasingly. “You’ll spoil the view!”

“Get out.”

Lance swung out of the room, smirk dancing on his lips. Making Keith flustered was too easy- it was like stealing candy from a baby. Of course, the memory thing helped a little. If Keith had remembered Lance… well, the tables would probably be turned.

He found himself in Keith’s kitchen and sat down at the table, which was clearly meant to sit no more than two people. Newspapers littered the tabletop, one open on a sudoku which had been half completed.

A couple more runes had been scribbled in the corners of the paper. Lance traced one with his finger, imagining it coming to life under his skin by his own magic. He wondered idly what it would feel like and his curiosity burned deep in his gut; a fire he’d never been able to put out.

A minute later Keith entered the kitchen, fully clothed and face a slightly more normal colour. Lance leant back lazily in his chair and grinned at him, offering a small wave. Keith scowled.

“You live here all by yourself?” Lance asked, gesturing vaguely at thin air.

“I guess,” Keith shrugged.

Lance whistled lowly, leaning back even further so that the front legs of his chair tilted off the ground. Keith winced a little. He made his way across the room and took the chair opposite Lance, pushing aside the newspapers and a couple of dishes.

“So about the curse-”

“How do you afford all this?” Lance interrupted.

The question had been bothering him for so long now that he couldn’t help but ask. Keith couldn’t be any older than him and yet there he was in a nice house in a nice area and Lance was stuck in a crappy flat downtown that he shared with Hunk. His only consolation was that they had Netflix.

Keith shrugged. “I sell spells.”

“Seriously?” Lance gaped at Keith who had averted his eyes, looking uncomfortable. “Wait- you mean you wrote all these?”

He thrust the newspaper with Keith’s doodled runes into the man’s face as an example and Keith scooted back a few inches. “Like, invented them?”

“I mean, yeah.” Keith snatched the paper from Lance’s hand, seemingly offended. “They’re good money, okay? Can we move onto why you’re here now?”

“But dude,” Lance persisted. “I don’t know much about runes, but isn’t that really difficult? And you’ve got to have made thousands!”

“Lance, seriously-”

“Is that even legal? I mean not that it’s bad if it is, though it would be I guess, but-”

Keith huffed angrily and stood up. He leant over the table until his face was inches from Lance. Lance’s incessant talking sputtered and died, his eyes going wide as he took in Keith’s sudden close proximity. Subconsciously, he tilted back his chair further.

“Uh, Keith...”

Keith reached out a hand and placed it firmly on Lance’s chest. Lance wondered if Keith could feel his frantic heartbeat through his shirt. He didn’t have much time to worry though because a moment later Keith pushed, ever so gently, and Lance was sent crashing backwards onto the floor with a loud yelp.

Once again, Lance found himself reunited with the ground, a fire witch standing over him. Thankfully this time no burning ropes were conjured and Lance was able to prop himself up on his elbows and pout at Keith, wincing.

“What was that for?!”

Keith was laughing, one hand pressed to his mouth as he tried to suppress his snorts. A small, cute smile lit up his face. Lance felt the floor beneath him vanish and once again that swooping, falling sensation overtook him. Though for different reasons this time.

Fuck.

Lance willed down the blush riding high in his cheeks. How dare Keith have a cute laugh? Lance was trying to be angry at him- the fall had hurt!

And yet there Keith was, a fleshed out dream Lance was unable to put behind him. And there Lance was, figuratively and literally falling all over again.

“I’m sorry,” Keith gasped between laughs. “Your face was just too good, oh my god.”

“That was a weak apology and I don’t forgive you,” Lance grumbled.

Keith reached down a hand to help pull him up and Lance took it grudgingly.

“Do you normally treat your guests like this?”

“No,” Keith admitted. “You’re just special.”

Lance had nothing to say to that, which was rare. He bent down to pick up Keith’s chair so that Keith couldn’t see his face. He was finding it hard to believe how much of an asshole this guy- Shiro’s brother- was.

“So this curse,” Keith said, and Lance could hear the hint of an apology in his voice (though maybe he was just imagining it). “Can you tell me about it?”

“Uh,” Lance said intelligently. “Do I have to? Can’t you just, um-” he snapped his fingers “-get rid of it?”

Keith sighed and gestured for Lance to follow him as he exited the kitchen and marched into another, much darker room. Ancient, leather-bound books lined the walls and more were scattered haphazardly on the floor, pages fluttering. The air smelled warm and dusty and unmistakably of magic. Lance felt the hairs on the back of his skin and arms stand on end.

“It doesn’t quite work like that,” Keith said, guiding Lance into the room and taking a book down from the shelves, letting it fall open in his hands. “Different curses have different properties and need to be dealt with by a spell or potion that specifically focuses on those properties. Shiro sent you to me so clearly this curse has elements that can only be dealt with by a fire witch.”

“That sounds way too complicated for a simple curse.”

“It’s sort of fascinating, really,” Keith said, pulling down another book. “What, you never been cursed before?”

“I’ve been cursed plenty,” Lance huffed indignantly, then wondered why he was acting like that was something to be proud of. “Usually Pidge or Hunk just make me a potion or something, though. I didn’t realise this much thought had to go into it.”

“Hold these.”

Keith shoved an armful of books into Lance’s arms and Lance staggered backwards under the sudden weight. Keith was already prowling the bookshelves again, picking more books like someone would fruit from a tree.

“So are you going to tell me what the curse is or am I going to have to work it out myself- which will take hours by the way.”

Lance sighed, feeling ridiculously like an inverted fairy tale. It looked like he couldn't get out of telling Keith his stupid curse. Keith was going to tease him so bad...

“A fire witch cursed me so that if I kiss anyone I’ll die.”

Keith didn’t react. He opened another book and flicked through the pages in smooth, languid movements.

“Die?”

“Shiro said I’d spontaneously combust.”

Keith finally turned to face Lance, shoulders shaking as he laughed again, the books wobbling dangerously in his arms.

“I’ve got to admit, that’s pretty creative.”

“Fuck you, mullet-head.”

“I think you’re the fucked one, _Lance_.”

Lance wailed quietly, burying his face in his books. Keith was right, he was absolutely right and Lance knew that all too well. He _needed_ the cute, mulleted asshole who had forgotten what Lance considered to be one of his most life-changing moments and also Lance himself. If Pidge had been there they’d be cackling.

“Please help me,” he mumbled into the soft leather cover of _ignotus magicus_.

Keith waited before answering, teasing him with the stagnant silence he created. Then the tiniest hint of a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth and Lance felt his heart stutter in his chest.

“Since you asked nicely,” he teased.

Lance wanted to punch that smirk off his face. But like, gently, because Keith had a very nice face and it would be a shame to ruin it. Maybe gently punch him with his own face. _Wait_...

“I’m going to need you to stand in the middle of the room,” Keith instructed. “And just… stay there. Don’t move unless I say you can.”

Lance shrugged and did as Keith said, carefully setting down the books that had been making his arms slowly go numb. Keith put his own stack back in their places on the shelves before fishing deep in his pants’ pocket and drawing out a stick of chalk.

“You found that, then?” Lance asked, unnecessarily.

“Not moving includes not talking, Lance.”

Lance pouted but didn’t speak again. Keith knelt down on the ground in front of him and began drawing runes on the floor. He worked fast, hands deftly creating the lines and swirls that filled his house, shuffling around Lance in a perfect ring until finally he’d made a full circuit.

Keith sat back on his haunches and dusted his hands off on his jeans. There was a long minute of silence in which nothing happened and Lance struggled to keep still. Finally he couldn’t wait any longer, Keith had been frowning at the runes he’d drawn for what felt like hours (in reality only a few seconds) and Lance had a spot on his nose that desperately needed scratching.

“Aren’t you supposed to like… wave your hands and say magic words or something?” Lance said, not bothering to keep the whine out of his voice.

“Here are some magic words,” Keith snarled. “Shut the fuck up.”

Lance huffed and folded his arms, glaring at Keith with what he hoped was his most withering look. Keith ignored him. He rubbed a couple of runes out with his sleeve and redrew them. Flames licked from his fingers then died abruptly.

“Are you sure about your curse?” Keith asked.

“Unless Shiro was lying to me- which he wouldn’t- yeah, I’m pretty damn sure.”

Lance felt a faint twinge of annoyance in his gut. Of course he was sure! He’d been cursed, Shiro himself had said so. Clearly Keith wasn’t as amazing at magic as he thought he was.

Meanwhile, Keith was biting his lip uncertainly. The sight made Lance’s pulse quicken slightly, but he ignored it. Keith erased the whole circle with a wave of his hand and started again, this time taking more time over it.

There was another minute of tense silence. Keith looked up at Lance with narrowed eyes, like he was trying to work something out. Lance’s patience was being seriously worn thin by this point.

“Look, can you get rid of my curse or not?” Lance started, anger flaring. “Because I’m not going to stand around here all day waiting for who knows what to happen.”

“I-” Keith stammered. “I- There’s no-” he broke off and took a steadying breath. Lance raised an eyebrow impossibly high as Keith struggled with how to respond. “I can get rid of your curse,” Keith said finally, more confident than before. “But it’ll take a while. Can you come back tomorrow?”

Lance let his face fall into a relieved smile. This was more like it.

“Sure thing, mullet head. I’ll come over around one, and you better have more to show me than fancy runes this time.”

  
***

Lance finally left Keith’s home about two hours later. Honestly, Keith thought, what was that guy’s deal? He’d been acting like he’d never seen magic before, even though Keith had seen the witch’s mark on his neck, if only for a moment, when Lance had adjusted the collar on his jacket.

It’d still been kinda cute though...

Whatever, it wasn’t like he cared ( _and yet you still invited him back tomorrow_ , a small voice in the back of his head pressed). Anyway, Keith had more important questions that needed answering. He opened up his phone and scrolled down his contacts to Shiro’s number. They'd barely talked since Shiro had moved out, let alone seen each other, though Keith had kept the number in his favourites anyway.

He typed out the message, fingers trembling slightly with nerves.

**Keith:** _Why did you send Lance to me?_

His phone buzzed with a reply sooner than he’d expected and he checked it nervously.

 **Shiro:**   _Didn’t he tell you? He’s been cursed and only a fire witch can save him_

**Keith:** _Shiro. There is no curse._

**Shiro:** _I don’t know what you’re talking about_

**Keith:**   _Yes. Yes you do._  
**Keith:** _If you’re trying to set me up with Lance I swear to god_

**Shiro:** _gtg_  
**Shiro:** _Have fun with Lance! Be safe!_

**Keith:** _SHIRO_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got my own account... wild


	3. Cats and Godzilla

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aha who said i was gonna update this regularly

If the Kerberos flowershop was Lance’s home away from home then Hunk’s grandmother’s diner was… well…. a home away from home away from home? Was that a thing? Lance wasn’t entirely sure, but he felt like it should be.

The whole establishment just felt so warm and welcome, with everything from the delicious smells coming from the kitchen to the sunny yellow-painted walls only adding to the homey atmosphere. The food was honestly to die for, and Lance wasn’t even exaggerating.

And then there was Hunk himself. The actual embodiment of friendship and kindness and the giver of the best hugs. Lance was fairly certain he was in love with Hunk, but then again, who wouldn’t be? He was perfect, he was safe, and he was home. Lance couldn’t remember a time when Hunk and his grandma’s diner weren’t in his life.

Being at Hunk’s diner was the closest Lance could ever be to actually being back home with his own family.

Anyway.

Lance sipped on his milkshake, dutifully waiting for his best friend to finish his shift so he could scream at him, panic, and burst into tears- not necessarily in that order. Hunk was a good friend, he’d know what to do.

The aforementioned friend approached Lance’s booth with a worried look and a large waffle stack. He set it down and leaned forward so he could talk to Lance more privately, lowering his voice as he drizzled syrup over the waffles.

“I know something’s up, man. I’ll be out in five minutes and you better tell me _everything_. Also those waffles are for us to share so don’t you dare eat them yet or I will actually hate you.”

He vanished again and Lance looked at his forbidden waffle stack mournfully, practically drooling in anticipation. How dare Hunk put this culinary masterpiece in front of him then tell him he had to share it? That was just plain rude.

To his credit, Hunk actually finished his shift in three minutes (not that Lance was counting or anything, geez). To further that, he gave Lance the best hug he’d had all week, almost lifting him right out of his chair. After about a minute of soft-aggressive hugging, Lance peeled himself off his best friend regretfully and Hunk sat down, helping himself to a waffle.

“So what’s up?”

Lance groaned and buried his face in his hands. “Where to start?”

“Pidge told me you’d been cursed and it’s the best thing to have ever happened to them.”

“Okay,” Lance conceded. “That does seem like a rational starting place. But for the record- Pidge may be enjoying this curse but I am _not_.”

Hunk shrugged, chewing furiously to hide the goofy grin Lance just knew he’d have right now if he weren’t eating. Honestly, what had he done to deserve this? He was a good person!

“Dude, just tell me what happened.”

“Okay, so there was this hot fire-witch chick right?”

He launched into his story of the Date From Hell enthusiastically. Lance was a sucker for drama, even when it was his own. Hunk gasped and uttered soft ‘oh’s in all the right places, he’d had years of experience thanks to the incredible amount of bullshit Lance had gotten himself into.

“So then Shiro gives me his address, right?

Hunk nodded enthusiastically, pouring more syrup onto a waffle without taking his eyes off Lance.

“So I go there and it’s in the fucking ‘burbs, and I’m thinking ‘what self respecting fire-witch would live in a fucking soccer-mom house?’ But, like, I arrive and brave the middle aged white suburban mom hell, and you know who answers the fucking door?”

“A middle-aged white suburban soccer mom?”

“Not even close.” Lance leaned across the table and lowered his voice so that only Hunk could hear him. “Keith.”

“Wait… You mean _Keith_ Keith?” Hunk asked in disbelief. “ _Our_ Keith?”

“The one and only.”

“The guy who you crushed on for a year and was your first kiss? Who Pidge walked in on-”

Hunk was interrupted by Lance slapping a hand over his mouth, eyes wide and panicked.

“Yes, the guy Pidge walked in on making out with me in their Peonies- could you keep your voice down? It’s embarrassing!”

Hunk peeled Lance’s hand off his face like he was taking off a band aid.

“Why are you embarrassed? He’s hot. If I wasn’t ace I would get some of that.”

“Oh my god, Hunk. He has a _mullet_.”

“Yeah, but it looks amazing on him.”

“Okay, I am stopping you right there pal.”

Lance did not need this right now. He’d gotten over his stupid crush ages ago, had learnt his lesson about dating boys like Keith. The day after they’d kissed Keith had vanished, without saying goodbye or even giving any indication on where he was going. It was as if he’d never existed. Boys like Keith weren’t made for sticking around.

But now he’d turned up in Lance’s life again and damn he looked good, even with his stupid hair, and Lance was reminded of why he’d had this stupid crush on the stranger who kept coming to Pidge’s shop in the first place. And now Keith had invited him back over today?

“Wait a minute,” Hunk said, interrupting Lance’s panicked train of thought. “I didn’t know Keith was a fire-witch!”

“He would’ve kept his mark hidden by that dumb mullet, the weirdo.”

“Huh. So this is what’s gotten you all upset?”

“Not exactly…” Lance sighed and his shoulders sagged miserably. “Hunk-” He hesitated, carefully schooling his voice into something more natural. “He doesn’t remember me.”

“What?”

“I turned up at his house yesterday and he had no idea who I was. He acted like I was a total stranger…”

“No way. He visited the shop like every day! He _kissed_ you!”

“I know, I know… He just…” Lance bit his lip thoughtfully. “Do you think it’s because I hadn’t transitioned yet? Maybe he just didn’t recognise me.”

They sat in silence, staring at the waffle plate which was now devoid of waffles.

“I guess it’s possible- though after all you guys had together, I still find it surprising,” Hunk mused.

“Do you think I should tell him?”

The thought terrified Lance, more than he cared to admit. Maybe Keith would be disgusted; maybe he only liked girls in that way and would break Lance’s heart _again_. Hunk seemed to pick up on how Lance was feeling because he reached across the table with both hands and cupped Lance’s cheeks gently, forcing him to meet his eyes.

“You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with, Lance. If he doesn’t remember you, then that’s okay. Make some new memories- ones that he’ll _have_ to remember.” Hunk paused, choosing his next words carefully. “If you do decide to tell him and he doesn’t accept you for you, I’ll kick his mulleted ass to hell and back.”

Lance smiled wetly, then, in the spur of the moment, climbed up onto the table to pull Hunk into a hug in one swift movement. Hunk hugged him back, with enough strength to crush every bone in Lance’s body, which was totally fine because hey- Hunk gave the world’s best hugs.

“What did I do to deserve you?” Lance asked.

“Dude, you’re gonna get me fired, get off the table.”

“Oh, right.”

 

***

 

Once again, Lance stood outside Keith’s door, sweat clamming up his palms which he wiped nervously on his jeans. He did have the right time, right? Where was Keith? He glared at the dragon door knocker which seemed even tackier than yesterday. There was no way in hell he was ever going to use that thing. For the third time in a minute, he raised a fist to the door and knocked loudly.

This time he got a response. There were a few bangs from inside the house and muffled cursing, and then the door was flung open. Keith stood in the doorway, flustered and flushed, hair coming out from it’s short ponytail.

At least this time he was wearing pants, Lance mused.

“Uh, is this a bad time?”

“What?” Keith snapped. His eyes were wild and frantic.

Lance backed away slightly, hands raised placatingly.

“You said to come over at one? But you look… busy. I can come back later!”

“What,” Keith repeated, but this time more softly. His gaze focused on Lance and his expression calmed a little bit. “Oh. _Oh_. Uh, Lance, right?”

Lance ignored the tiny clench in his gut at those two words. _Lance, right?_ Did he really mean that little to his… his… whatever Keith was? That was something he needed to change immediately.

“Yeah, but you can call me anytime.”

For a couple of awkward seconds Keith looked politely confused, then his eyes opened wide. Lance watched smugly as a blush crept up his neck and pooled into his cheeks, red as the fire he controlled.

“Oh my god,” he groaned, burying his face in his hands. “That was so bad.”

“You still blushed though!”

Lance heard him mumble “Second hand embarrassment,” through his fingers. Satisfied with this reaction, Lance decided to have some mercy and change the subject, like the good person that he was.

“So are you gonna let me in or are we just gonna stand here…?”

“Oh!” Keith’s hands fell from his glowing face and he took a clumsy step back into his house. “Right, yeah. Come in.”

Lance did, following Keith into the rune covered hallway. And then he stopped. He looked at the sight in front of him in horror, not quite believing what his eyes were seeing.

“Keith,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Are you aware that your house is on fire?”

Keith stopped as well. He looked at Lance, then at the roaring blaze in front of them which was currently eating its way through the wallpaper. He looked back at Lance.

“Shit.”

 

Even with a fire witch, the fire took a long time to put out. It wasn’t like they were able to call the fire service to help. Apparently, Keith informed him through coughs, it was a magic fire. Terrific. Lance just couldn’t seem to get enough of the stuff lately.

With the fire put out, all the windows open and a few new runes scribbled here and there to fix up the more charred parts of Keith’s home, Lance and Keith were finally able to collapse in the library, covered in ashes and smelling of smoke.

“What did you do?” Lance panted. “And more importantly- how did you not realise that your _house_ was on _fire?_ ”

He glared at Keith who was lying on his back in the middle of the floor, eyes staring at nothing. After a moment Keith rolled over to stare at Lance. His black hair was speckled white with ash.

“I was trying to do some experimental stuff- uh, for your curse? And Red walked right through my work before the ink could dry.”

“Red?”

“My cat.”

The fact that Keith had a cat did absolutely nothing to soften Lance’s currently annoyed feelings towards him. Nothing whatsoever. Nope. And he definitely was not imagining Keith drawing runes while cuddling a cute little kitten, nope, no way. He was mad at Keith for setting his house on fire. That’s right.

“I guess I was a bit distracted,” Keith said, brow scrunching up. “I probably should’ve cleaned up the mess when you knocked, but…”

“You were so eager to see my beautiful face you forgot. It’s okay, I understand.”

Keith didn’t dignify that with a response. After an awkward moment in which Lance welcomed the emptiness of the void and Keith turned several interesting shades of pink, the latter muttered an embarrassed, “Sorry,” and stood up, leaving the room abruptly.

If Lance regretted his words before, he really regretted them now. Why did he have to use flirting as a defense mechanism? What was wrong with him? He’d managed to scare Keith away and now he was left here, awkwardly lying in the middle of his host’s room, coated in ash and minor burns, wishing that he’d perished in the fire instead. Trust Lance and his inflated ego to screw up such a rare opportunity for a second chance with a hot fire witch.

“Are you okay?”

Keith had returned, face significantly less pink. Lance sat up hastily, an ill advised one-liner on the tip of his tongue despite his previous panic, but stopped dead when he saw what Keith was holding.

“This,” Keith said, looking down at the kitten in his arms, “is our criminal. The notorious Red, feared arsonist and merciless killer of mice.”

In his arms, the kitten mewed and blinked at Lance. It had tiny paws, still stained black from Keith’s ink. Lance died.

“I’m dead,” he informed Keith.

“Would you like to pet her?” Keith asked, and then he crouched down beside Lance without waiting for an answer, holding Red out towards him.

Okay, so Lance was officially deceased. Why had no one called an ambulance? He reached out and stroked Red’s small head- and if her fur wasn’t the softest fur he’d ever felt he’d eat his consolation pot plant. Or kiss someone. Would the curse still work on a dead person?

“You really like cats, huh?” Keith asked, watching Lance boop his nose gently against Red’s. When their eyes met he treated Lance to a shy, rare smile.

Cats weren’t the only thing he liked, Lance mused. Out loud he said, “I would actually die for cats.”

“Do you have one?”

“No pets allowed in my apartment. Otherwise me and Hunk would have fifty cats and a lizard by now.”

“That’s rough, buddy.”

Lance moved his hand so he was tickling the underside of Red’s chin and shrugged.

“Yeah. I guess Minor-Deity-Zilla was just not meant to be.”

There was a long, painful moment of silence while Lance eagerly waited for Keith to get his pun, and Keith just frowned in confusion, obviously aware that he was missing something. Lance saw him mouth the words ‘minor’ and ‘deity’.

“Y’know,” Lance prompted tentatively. “Minor-deity…. like God... Godzilla.”

Keith’s expression didn’t change.

“Small… Godzilla… lizard…?”

“Is ‘Godzilla’ a religious thing?” Keith asked innocently.

Okay, time to abort. Clearly Keith had lived under a rock these past few years, explaining his mysterious disappearance and lack of knowledge about pop culture. Case closed. Lance decided they were in desperate need of a subject change before the awkwardness of the conversation consumed him.

“So any new ideas on how to get rid of my curse?”

Keith looked slightly taken aback at the sudden new direction they had taken, but he rolled with it, bless him. He gnawed on his lip and tapped his knee with restless fingers, thinking of what to say. Lance waited, anticipation heavy in his gut.

“I was working on something I thought might work…”

Lance’s heart leapt and he leaned forward eagerly.

“Yeah?”

“Red walked through it and set the house on fire.”

Disappointment was a hard thing to swallow. Why did the world hate him so much? He was a good person! He glared down at Red who was purring contentedly against his hand. How could the things he loved most hurt him so cruelly? Kissing, cats… next it would probably be the ocean or something.

“So what you're saying,” Lance said slowly, “is that you’ve got nothing.”

Keith scratched the back of his neck and glanced down at the floor, guilt written all over his face and in the blush painted across his cheeks.

“...Sorry.”

Lance sighed. He’d really like to stay a bit longer, watch Keith write runes and cuddle Red. He really wanted this curse gone. Instead he was going to have to make the journey back into the city instead, were Pidge would tease him and Shiro would lecture him about fire safety.

“I guess I better get going then,” Lance said morosely, standing up from his comfortable spot on the ground. His eyes darted around the room, searching for his jacket and bag.

“Stay!”

The word was shouted out and obviously not quite what Keith had meant to say. Lance looked down at him in shock, amused but also sort of smitten by how Keith’s ears burned a rosy red to match his cheeks.

“I- I mean, you can stay here if you want. You only just got here, and I can’t exactly turn you out after I set my own house on fire, made you help me put it out, and then let you down yet again.”

“...Oh.”

Well now that Keith asked, he supposed he could afford to stay a little while longer. He perked up, giving up the search for his things in favour of sitting back down beside Keith and his cat.

“Okay!”

 

They ended up streaming Godzilla on Lance’s phone, because apparently Keith wasn’t going to let that go until he got the joke. Red kept crawling across his shoulders and sitting on the screen until Keith finally got up to let her outside, the small kitten mewling at his heels. It was three hours later, and only with a slightly heavy heart, that Lance decided he should probably go.

“So um, thanks for that I guess, even if we didn’t actually get much done,” Lance chuckled. “Next time I guess.”

Keith leaned against the door frame and regarded Lance with an unreadable expression as the other lingered awkwardly on his doorstep.

“Same time next wednesday suit?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Lance hesitated and reached subconsciously for his bag. “Should I be paying you?”

“Don’t do that,” Keith said immediately, looking a little flustered.

“Sweet.”

That worked pretty well for Lance, because he was very much broke. Besides, he had helped Keith put out a fire today, even if all he’d actually done was yell a bit while Keith did all the real work. Yeah, he wasn’t going to dwell on that.

He turned to leave, stopped, then turned back. Keith raised an eyebrow, smirking at him. Man, he was really bad at goodbyes.

“Okay, but actually, you should call me. Or text, I don’t care. I’ll give you my number!”

Keith looked surprised, but was quick to hide his expression with another smirk. He pushed himself off the doorframe and pulled out his phone from his jacket pocket, holding it out to Lance. It was a Nokia brick. _Of course._

“We’ll see.” His voice sent shivers down Lance’s spine.

Lance entered in his number, thrust the phone back at Keith, and choked out some form of a goodbye. His heart pounded hard against his chest as he walked unsteadily away down the garden path.

He’d done it. After however many years it had been, he’d finally given Keith his number. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to whoop or pass out right there on the concrete. He really was going to do this again wasn’t he… it was like falling for Keith was just a part of his core being. It was inevitable. Lance falling for Keith was a fact of life that he couldn’t escape.

Maybe if he was lucky Keith wouldn’t disappear this time.

 

Lance didn’t see Keith smiling down at his phone, or how he lingered at the doorway until he was well out of sight. Only Red saw that, but Red was a cat and thus rendered this information useless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this hasnt been edited AT ALL im sorry thanks for reading <3 i too would die for cats


	4. Text Chats

_Keith:_   
_Hey_

**McLance:**   
**Hey!!!!!! :DDDDD**

**McLance:**   
**u actaully messaged omg i knew u cared <3**

**McLance:**   
**also my dude my guy its 2 in the morning wtf**

**McLance:**   
**why arent u asleep**

**McLance:**   
**keith?**

**McLance:**   
**keitttttth?????????????**

**McLance:**   
**love meeeee**

**McLance:**   
**:”””””””(**

_Keith:_   
_jfc do you want me to sleep or not_

**McLance:**   
**oh were u actually asleep lmao soz**

_Keith:  
no_

**McLance:  
cool cool coolcoolcool no doubt no doubt**

_Keith:  
what_

_Keith:  
I was just getting cereal??_

**McLance:  
uh huh uh huh**

**McLance:  
what kind?**

_Keith:  
why do you care_

_Keith:  
museli_

**McLance:  
1: Does muesli even count as cereal?**

**McLance:  
And B: if ur midnight snack is museli then we cant be friends**

_Keith:  
im so confused_

**McLance:  
what even is muesli is itcereal or is it porridge what if museli doesnt even exist what if we dont exist oh my god**

_Keith:  
what_

**McLance:  
personally im a cocopops kinda guy**

_Keith:  
I dont know how to talk to you_

**McLance:  
...oh**

**McLance:  
Im sorry have i made u uncomfortble i can stop**

**McLance:  
hunk says I should tone it down a little :/**

_Keith:  
no it’s fine. I just dont talk to many people and im not used to all… this?_

**McLance:  
…..,,,,**

**McLance:  
Edgyyyyyyyyyy**

McLance set Keith's name to egglord

**McLance:  
that was supposed to be edgelord sometimes I really dont undersand autocorrect**

**McLance:  
thtats cool tho i can roll with it**

**McLance:  
no but actually dude ur awkwardness is all goods w me dw about it**

**McLance:  
i liek talking to u**

**McLance:  
socially inept or not**

_egglord:  
right_

_egglord:  
thanks i guess?_

**McLance:  
awww keith u dont need to thank me**

_egglord:  
i take it all back_

**McLance:  
2 late no take backs**

_egglord:  
...right_

_egglord:  
why are you up anyway?_

**McLance:  
im marathoning die hard with Hunk**

_egglord:  
whats die hard????_

**McLance:  
oh my god**

**McLance:  
oh my god keith bby**

**McLance:  
no**

**McLance:  
keith why**

_egglord:  
nevermind I don’t want to know_

**McLance:  
i cant believe this**

**McLance:  
ur watching it next time i come to urs**

**McLance:  
do u even have a tv**

_egglord:  
nah i use my laptop_

_egglord:  
and is that really necessary?_

_egglord:  
we should be focusing on your curse_

**McLance:  
of course its necessary this is life or death**

_egglord:  
I really dont think it is…._

**McLance:  
shhhhhh ull understand when u see it**

**McLance:  
oops phone battery is about to die**

**McLance:  
ttyl keithy boy**

_egglord:  
never call me that_

_egglord:  
goodnight_

**McLance:  
bye <3 <3 <3**

  
_egglord:_  
[red.jpg]

_egglord:_  
[redsleeping.jpg]

_egglord:_  
[redeating.jpg]

**McLance:  
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa**

_egglord:  
she says hi_

**McLance:  
tell her i say hi and i love her**

_egglord:  
okay_

_egglord:  
she left_

**McLance:  
</3**

**McLance:  
stone cold**

**McLance:  
why must she reject my love in this way**

_egglord:  
maybe shes shy_

**McLance:  
maybe she left to start some more fires**

_egglord:  
stop this_

**McLance:  
seriously dude how have u lived this long**

_egglord:  
are we forgetting whos the cursed one here_

**McLance:  
shut up**

_egglord:  
never_

**McLance:  
i wouldnt actually be cursed if u worked out a cure**

_egglord:  
yeah well its a work in progress_

_egglord:  
im getting there_

**McLance:  
define getting there**

**McLance:  
cuz i swear if this goes on any longer pidges smugness is gonna kill me**

_egglord:  
… rip_

**McLance:  
thanks man**

  
_egglord:  
u coming today_

**McLance:  
u can count on it**

**McLance:  
any breakthroughs or should I bring my flash drive containing very legal downloads of diehard**

_egglord:  
there is something id like to try_

_egglord:  
how do you feel about giant firebreathing hippos_

**McLance:  
i feel… afraid**

**McLance:  
theyre not a part of this smth are they?**

_egglord:  
...so diehard sounds fun_

**McLance:  
i am so concerned about ur line of work**

_egglord:  
u get used to it_

  
**McLance:  
omw**

_egglord:  
ok see you soon_

**McLance:  
Cool beans :D**

**McLance:  
*finger guns @ u***

_egglord:  
why did i give you my number_

**McLance:  
my natural charm**

**McLance:  
my good looks**

**McLance:  
my flawless personality**

_egglord:  
hmm… no_

_egglord:  
maybe it was pity…?_

**McLance:  
WoAH r00d**

**McLance:  
brb bus is here**

**McLance:  
okay hi**

_egglord:  
hey_

**McLance:  
Shiro says hi btw**

**McLance:  
he also says hed come visit u but hes caught up in worj**

**McLance:  
*work**

**McLance:  
if u ask me hes too caught up in his bf**

_egglord:  
hold up_

_egglord:  
shiro has a BOYFRIEND?????????????_

_egglord:  
????????????????_

_egglord:  
?_

**McLance:  
uh yeah**

**McLance:  
my friends bro matt**

**McLance:  
theyre soooo disgutingly perfect together**

_egglord:  
i guess im really not a part of his life anymore huh_

**McLance:  
keith…**

_egglord:  
also that asshole owes me $50_

_egglord:  
u better tell him to pay up or else_

**McLance:  
wait what**

_egglord:  
just some bet we made when we were fostered together_

**McLance:  
that was years ago how do u remember taht**

_egglord:  
$50 lance_

_egglord:  
im not gonna let $50 escape me that easy_

**McLance:**

**fair**

**McLance:  
ok im outside urs**

**McLance:  
u better not be on fire this time**

_egglord:  
stop this_

  
**McLance:  
hey**

_egglord:  
i am literally sitting right next to you_

**McLance:  
:/**

**McLance:  
r u ok**

_egglord:  
...yes_

**McLance:  
bro u look like ur about to cry**

_egglord:  
what no_

**McLance:  
…….**

_egglord:  
its just…. so sad_

_egglord:  
hes never going to see his brother again_

_egglord:  
and they were so close_

_egglord:  
i mean he was almost his entire family_

_egglord:  
and now hes all alone_

**McLance:  
okay in hindsight**

**McLance:  
maybe big hero 6 wasnt the best movie to watch**

**McLance:  
hug incoming**

  
_egglord:  
sorry about yesterday_

**McLance:  
u mean the crying thing or the dragon in the bathroom thing**

**McLance:  
because u shuldnt be sorry about the crying thing that was on me**

_egglord:  
both i guess?_

_egglord:  
mostly the dragon thing_

_egglord:  
i swear i have no idea how that got there_

**McLance:  
how do u not know**

**McLance:  
how a dragon**

**McLance:  
got into ur bathroom**

_egglord:  
i dont know anything anymore_

**McLance:  
#relatable**

**McLance:  
i had a good time tho**

**McLance:  
despite all… that**

_egglord:  
same_

_egglord:  
sooo same time next week?_

**McLance:  
hell yeah**

**  
McLance:  
HLEP**

**McLance:  
HELP ME**

_egglord:  
whats up_

_egglord:  
lance?_

_egglord:  
is this a joke?_

_egglord:  
lance seriously are you okay_

_egglord:  
Lance_

_egglord:  
Lance its been 20min im getting worried here_

_egglord:  
Lance please_

_egglord:  
Do I need to call an ambulance?_

_egglord:  
Shit I don't know where you are nvm_

**McLance:  
oh hey keith!**

**McLance:  
soz i didnt mean to worry u**

_egglord:  
lance wtf_

**McLance:  
pidge tickled me because they are satan**

**McLance:  
and i dropped my phone**

**McLance:  
so i had to get a replacement at the shop and pidge wouldnt even pay for it**

**McLance:  
can u believe that????**

_egglord:  
i hate u_

_egglord:  
so much_

**McLance:  
nahh u care about me :)))**

_egglord:  
no._

**McLance:  
u were worrieeed about me :)))))**

_egglord:  
No._

**McLance:  
“Lance its been 20min im getting worried here”**

_egglord:  
u know what?_

_egglord:  
fuck you_

**McLance:  
love u 2 keith <333**

**McLance:  
keith?**

_egglord:  
jklstricriub_

**McLance:  
u alright there bud?**

**McLance:  
buddy?**

**McLance:  
okayy im sorry**

**McLance:  
is that what u want too hear?**

**McLance:  
keith?**

_egglord:  
How do you just_

_egglord:  
say things like that?_

**McLance:  
???????**

_egglord:  
nvm_

_egglord:  
so u coming over later?_

**McLance:  
sure am!**

**McLance:  
u think u got smth?**

_egglord:  
i wrote a few runes_

_egglord:  
idk what they do yet_

**McLance:  
that doesnt sound safe**

_egglord:  
safe as life :/_

**McLance:  
wow thanks i feel much better**

_egglord:  
anytime_

**McLance:  
so ill cya soon i guess <3**

_egglord:  
yup_

_egglord:  
cya_

  
**McLance:  
do u mind if i ask u a personal question?**

_egglord:  
why are you awake_

**McLance:  
wtf why are YOU awake**

**McLance:  
go to sleep man**

_egglord:  
u texted first. i cant sleep anyway_

**McLance:  
ok then**

**McLance:  
sooo…. do you?**

_egglord:  
depends on the question_

**McLance:  
i was just wondering what the deal is between u and shiro**

_egglord:  
there is no deal_

**McLance:  
……**

_egglord:  
we fostered together through high school_

_egglord:  
and one day he just…. left_

_egglord:  
we thought he was missing but he texted me a few days later_

_egglord:  
i kept asking to meet up but he was always busy_

_egglord:  
im not stupid. i know he just wanted to get away from me. i was holding him down_

**McLance:  
i dont think thats true**

**McLance:  
Shiros not like that**

**McLance:  
and ur actually pretty cool when ur not being so edgy**

_egglord:  
thanks Lance_

_egglord:  
but i can take a hint_

_egglord:  
i havent seen him once since then_

_egglord:  
we still call sometimes so thats something i guess_

**McLance:  
keith**

**McLance:  
are u okay?**

_egglord:  
im fine_

_egglord:  
why am i even telling u this its not like u care_

**McLance:  
dude of course I care! ur my friend**

**McLance:  
i can fight shiro for u if u want**

**McLance:  
hes super buff so he can probably take me on**

**McLance:  
but ive got a few tricks up my sleeve**

_egglord:  
like what???_

**McLance:  
uhhh**

**McLance:  
my stunning good looks?**

_egglord:  
no._

**McLance:  
ok so maybe i have no tricks**

**McLance:  
id still fight him for u tho**

_egglord:  
youre ridiculous_

**McLance:  
shut up u love me**

_egglord:  
...in your dreams_

_egglord:  
dont fight shiro._

**McLance:  
goodnight keith <3 <3 <3**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> exams are coming and ive been too tired to write anything so this is all yall are getting soz :/ thanks for reading


	5. Coven Meetings

Friday night was hot and stuffy and the sky had been covered by a thick layer of smog. Outside, the air was practically sweating. The humidity was damp against the skin of pedestrians and the stench of smoke and alcohol from partygoers lingered belatedly in the air. Lance counted himself lucky that on this sticky night, he was in the Altea district, comfortably tucked away in a pillow fort in the house of his friend and coven leader, Allura. It just so happened that Friday night was his coven meeting night- a very serious and formal gathering of witches.

“U-fucking-NO, shitwitts!”

“Mother _fucker_!”

Pidge slammed their card down on the table triumphantly, nearly knocking over Shiro’s drink. Shiro looked at it like it had the answers to why Pidge had only one card in their hand, while he was left with over half the pack. Beside him, Hunk looked about ready to cry. Beside Hunk, Allura looked ready to kill.

“I don’t get it,” Matt whined. He flung himself onto Shiro’s lap and pouted up into his boyfriend’s face. “Why does Pidge keep winning. I’m _older_ than them.”

“Sometimes,” Shiro murmured. He paused, frowning as he tried to finish the sentence. “Sometimes you just have to accept that… that kids are better than us.”

“Fucking rude. What happened to respecting your elders and shit?”

“Language,” Shiro muttered automatically. He carded his fingers through Matt’s hair with his good hand, seeming to have forgotten the presence of five other people in the room. But that was Shiro and Matt, always getting lost in each other.

Lance sighed and shuffled through his own cards. He wasn’t doing as badly as Shiro, but his chances of beating Pidge were slimmer than his chances of getting with Allura. Behind him, his phone buzzed and the screen lit up with a new message.

_Egglord:  
I’m serious Lance. Mothman is real and there’s nothing u can say or do to make me believe ur government mandated lies_

Lance smirked and tapped out a fast reply, fingers missing a few keys thanks to the three or six ciders in his system. It’d been weeks since he’d gotten Keith’s number. Weeks of late night conversations and useless bantering and showing up outside Keith’s door at random hours of the day. The fire witch still hadn’t managed to get rid of his curse and Lance had all but given up on ever being cured, but he continued to show up anyway. Keith was… Keith was like a magnet and Lance was drawn back to him again and again.

“Lance!”

He looked up, startled. The members of his coven were all glaring at him. Hunk, Allura and Coran on his right; Pidge, Shiro and Matt on his left. All of them squeezed in the one tiny pillow fort and all of them staring expectantly at Lance.

“Uh...”

“It’s your turn, man,” Hunk said. He placed a hand on Lance’s arm and squeezed gently. “Finish this quickly. Please- for all our sakes. I can’t take this much longer.”

“It’s Pidge’s turn next,” Coran added helpfully. “You’re our last hope!”

Pidge grinned slowly and Lance felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. He looked down at his useless, terrible cards and saw his solution. The room held its breath. He withdrew the card from his hand and just before putting it down, made direct eye contact with Pidge. What the hell.

“Change direction, scrubs.”

Chaos ensued. Pidge tried to climb over the table towards Lance with a shriek of “COWARD!” and Shiro pulled them back, expression tired. Hunk was wailing about how Lance had betrayed him and their friendship contract (which he had totally not done, he knew the rules). Meanwhile Coran was having to try stop Allura from chugging her entire bottle at the prospect of having to play more Uno. Maybe they were all overreacting, but they were also all drunk and on their third game and playing anything competitive with Pidge was like being in a freakin’ sports anime.

Lance’s phone lit up again.

_Egglord:  
Are you drunk?_

Lance squinted at the screen, trying to get his vision to stop doubling for a second.

**McLance:  
fffgfffffmaybe**

_Egglord:  
Where are u?_

**McLance:  
a v serious and offficiak covenm eeting**

_Egglord:  
...right_

Lance was distracted by Matt’s indignant squawk as Shiro and Allura’s combined efforts made him pick up eight.

“How could you guys?” He shouted. “I thought we were on the same team?”

Shiro and Allura exchanged confused looks.

“We thought you had a four too?” Shiro ventured. “You gave us the secret signal?”

“Oh my god. Shiro. I was winking at you for real. I didn’t actually have a pick-up card.”

“Wait,” Hunk interrupted. He pointed an accusing finger at them and hiccuped softly. “You guys were cheating?”

“How else were we going to defeat Pidge?” Allura asked apologetically.

Hunk didn’t have an argument for that. Pidge started laughing and their sharp voice cut through the warm room like a knife. Lance had a bad feeling he was about to get stabbed.

“Hey Lance,” they crowed. Lance sweated. “Pick up four, _scrub_.”

They threw down their last card and whooped, punching the air. Their raised fist almost took down one of their fort’s blanket walls but thankfully they came just short. As one, the rest of their coven groaned and put down their cards. It had been years, years of weekly coven meetings, and yet no one had ever managed to beat Pidge at Uno.

Lance seized the moment of his friends’ despair to quickly send another text to Keith, ignoring the appraising look Hunk sent his way.

**McLance:  
pidge jsut kicked my ubutt at uno**

_Egglord:  
yup. ur coven meetings seem very serious_

**McLance:  
they r**

A suggestion for another round of Uno from Pige was immediately shouted down and instead Lance found himself bundled up between Pidge and Hunk, Pidge’s laptop open in front of them and Matt and Allura arguing heatedly over movie choices. Drinks discarded, they all settled down around the small screen, careful not to dislodge the fort. Lance buried himself into Hunk’s side contentedly and smiled down at his phone, reading through Keith’s latest texts. _God_ , that boy was cute.

“Who’s the lucky girl, bud?” Hunk whispered. Lance jolted and shoved his phone into his pocket guiltily. Hunk raised his eyebrows. “Or guy?”

“No one,” Lance murmured. He couldn’t help but notice Pidge leaning in a little closer to try catch their whispered conversation.

Hunk’s eyebrows rose comically higher, almost disappearing beneath his fringe. “Well, there must be someone you’re talking to to make you look that happy.”

“Uh, noooo?” Lance forced a laugh and cringed when his phone vibrated from his pocket. “I just really, really like this movie!”

Which is when he realised what movie Pidge- _that sick sonofabitch_ \- had put on. Shit.

“You…” For a moment Hunk was lost for words. A mix of emotions passed over his face; confusion, hurt, betrayal, and so, so many more. Lance thought he saw a darkness settle behind his friend’s kind eyes. “You really like _the Room_?”

“Touché.”

A foot jabbed painfully into Lance’s side from an unknown source and he wheezed like an old man. The owner of the foot was revealed when Matt twisted around from the other end of their human pile and hissed, “Can you guys shut up? I can’t appreciate Tommy Wiseau’s artistic genius properly with all your racket.”

“You shut up, you… you old man!”

“You’re an old man!”

“I’m like four years younger than you!”

“Boys, please!” Allura interrupted. “Are we not already suffering enough with this hideous movie playing?”

“Is he fucking her belly button?” Shiro asked quietly, apparently oblivious to the argument around him. He was staring, horrified, at the screen, as if in a nightmare. “And… and what’s with all the roses? What’s going on?”

He sounded afraid.

Coran patted Shiro on the shoulder comfortingly, his expression tired. “Don’t worry, Shiro. It gets _much_ worse.”

“We should’ve kept playing Uno.”

Lance breathed a sigh of relief when his phone buzzed again and he had an excuse to take it out and text Keith, rather than prolong his suffering. He fell into easy conversation with him, happy to create his own little world inside the light of his phone where it was just him and Keith- not a single terrible movie in sight. He hadn’t felt this safe since before Nyma had cursed him all those weeks ago.

He smiled, fingers lingering over the picture Keith had just sent (Red curled up on an open spellbook, Keith’s frustrated face in the background, pages and pages of runes, poking out from the side of the frame). He wondered if he’d go see Keith tomorrow, if his imminent hangover would allow it. He thought again about Keith being like a magnet. What was it they’d said in physics class? Opposites attract? Or maybe he was overthinking it- maybe what they’d actually said was ‘Lance is attracted to ridiculously hot people’, which seemed more likely because there was no way Keith would ever be attracted to a walking disaster like him. There. Physics.

“SPOONS!”

Lance shrieked and chucked his phone across the room on instinct.

“Woah,” Pidge laughed. “I appreciate the enthusiasm but you’re supposed to throw spoons, not phones, Lance.”

“Wait,” said Hunk. He’d picked up Lance’s phone from the floor and was staring at it in shock. “Is ‘Egglord’…?”

“No!” Lance shouted immediately.

“What?”

“Ohhh my god.” Hunk looked up gleefully, a wide and mocking grin spreading across his face. “Have you been texting Keith?”

“Give that back or I am officially ending the friendship contract.”

Hunk laughed loudly but handed the phone back. Lance shoved it into his pocket defensively, like maybe if it was out of sight everyone would just forget. No such luck.

“Who’s Keith?” Allura asked.

Shiro said, “My brother.”

Hunk said, “Lance’s curse breaker.”

Lance shrieked, “No one!”

Oops. The movie was immediately paused by Pidge who hard a sharp gleam in their eye as they assessed the situation. After a moment's silence they seemed to come to a conclusion. “Wait… is this the same Keith you kissed in my Peonies, Lance?”

Everyone gasped, faces lit up like they were twelve year olds again, playing truth or dare at their bestie’s slumber party. Everyone, Lance noticed, except Shiro. There was something… off about his expression. Lance couldn’t quite place it.

“You… knew Keith?” Shiro asked slowly.

“Oh yeah, he used to come to my flowershop all the time,” Pidge supplied. “That was before you joined the coven of course. I can’t believe we never made that connection!”

“It’s a small world!” Allura laughed. “Who knew that our Keith was the same Keith as Shiro’s brother?”

Coran tapped Lance on the arm, missing his shoulder by a good few inches, and grinned behind his mustache. Lance thought the man tried to wink at him, but it came out as an overly aggressive blink. “I bet he was surprised to see you again, Lance! Did you find out why he stopped coming to the flower shop? I liked that boy.”

“I don’t know. He, um… he doesn’t remember me.”

Lance felt a little bit of the air leave his chest. Why did this still affect him so much? It wasn’t like he and Keith had even talked much until that day. His few feeble attempts at starting conversation with the Holts’ hottest customer had fallen flat. The kiss had just sort of happened. It had been Lance’s first, though.

From the corner of his eye, Lance saw something in Shiro’s expression change again. The offness was definitely more prominent now. Shiro looked like he’d seen a ghost. That was weird.

Lance was too wasted and sad to care much.

“That sucks balls dude,” Matt mumbled from somewhere near the bottom of their human pile. “Do you… do you want another pot plant?

“I’ll fight Keith and make him remember,” Pidge volunteered.

Coran coughed warningly. “Now, now. That won’t be necessary, Pidge.” He paused to make direct eye contact with Lance who was already beginning to fear for his new friend. “But if that boy ever does anything to hurt you…” He tried to wink again but failed just as miserably as the first time.

“Please don’t kill Shiro’s brother,” Hunk moaned.

“No promises!”

Lance sighed and pinched his nose. He supposed he had better warn Keith about his friends at some point. He really didn’t want the guy to die before he scored a date with him. That would put a mega dampener on things.

  
_____________________

 

_Egglord:  
so then this guy right_

_Egglord:  
this guy tries to fuckin curse me in the middle of McDonalds_

_Egglord:  
using tomato sauce_

**McLance:  
no wayy**

_Egglord:  
yeah way_

_Egglord:  
he had no idea what he was doing he ended up using three bottles and all he managed to do was turn his own hair green_

_Egglord:  
and im sitting there like should i go? do u want me to pay for that or smth??_

**McLance:  
fffffuuiuck**

**McLance:  
ok ok butfor realsz ur worst d8 sounds liek alomst as bad as my best on**

_Egglord:  
from what I know of your love life im not even surprised_

  
Lance chuckled, swaying slightly as he tried to text and walk at the same time. Shit’s hard. He may have had to much to drink. He may regret it in the morning.

The gang (minus Allura and Coran) had changed their plans of staying the night after one of Allura’s experiments had woken from the dead and nearly started the zombie apocalypse. That had sort of ruined the mood for everyone involved. Even though Allura had fixed the issue in a matter of minutes, no one was keen to spend the night after that anyway. Coran had sent them off with the leftover drinks and food and a reminder that they were always welcome to pop by for tea whenever they were in the area.

The zombie apocalypse, while concerning, hadn’t really come as a surprise to anyone. Allura’s type of magic was one not often seen in the witching community. She was a necromancer, which seemed pretty awesome until… yeah until the zombie thing. Lance had actually met Allura’s dead father on a number of occasions. That was kind of a thing. Allura’s dad was a chill dude. Had been. Whatever.

They had nearly made it home. In just a couple more minutes Lance could curl up in his apartment and text Keith until he fell asleep. He was currently trailing behind Hunk and Pidge, who were deep in conversation. Matt and Shiro were just ahead, sharing a scarf like the disgusting couple that they were. Suddenly, Matt stopped walking. The scarf slithered off his neck and flopped onto the pavement.

Confused, the rest of them stopped too. In the orange glow of the street lights, Lance could just make out Shiro’s concerned expression, the flush of alcohol in his cheeks, Matt’s slow fall to the ground. Except he wasn’t falling.

There was something about 2am that just swallowed everything up. The silence was like a black hole; consuming. They were a monochrome photograph. The four of them, silhouetted against concrete, standing still as stone. And Matt. Matt, who had got down on one knee and was pulling out a ring from his jacket pocket, the dim light catching off the smooth metal and gleaming as he turned it nervously in his fingers.

“Fuck,” he muttered, eloquently. “I wasn’t gonna do this for like, another week. But I just love you so much Shiro, oh my god. I love you so fucking much you have no idea.”

“Matt,” Pidge hissed. “What the _fuck_ are you doing?”

“I’m… I’m proposing Pidge, what does it look like?” He looked down at the ring in his hand and squeaked. “Oh fuck, I’m proposing.”

“I can’t believe you beat me to it,” Shiro said. He was smiling, maybe more than Lance had ever seen him smile before. “I love you so fucking much too, asshole.”

Matt laughed and had to put a hand down on the ground to stop himself from tipping over. “Is that a yes?”

“You haven’t even asked me yet!”

Lance couldn’t see Matt’s face, but he could imagine the pure happiness of Matt’s expression right now. It was probably something akin to what Shiro looked like.

“Takashi Shirogane!” Matt shouted, voice echoing down the empty street. “Love of my life! Apple of my eye! Luke Skywalker to my Han Solo! Will you do me the honour of marrying me?”

“Fuck, yes!”

Lance laughed as Shiro scooped Matt up from where he was kneeling and spun them both around, completely forgetting to take the ring. How two people could make each other so happy… it was just so beautiful. He thought of his curse, how he could probably never kiss anyone again. But watching Shiro and Matt, so wrapped up in each other and confident that that was how they’d spend the rest of their lives, it struck him that maybe his curse didn’t matter at all. He thought of Keith and Red and a future where potentially he was not forgotten. Maybe love wasn’t as physical as he had once thought.

“That _idiot_.”

Lance was torn from his thoughts by the scathing voice of Pidge. They were glaring at their brother with distaste, shaking their head slowly at the spectacle.

“What’s up?” Lance asked, confused.

“Yeah, your brother just got engaged to the most perfect man who ever lived. ‘Idiot’ is the last thing I’d be calling him,” Hunk added.

Pidge continued to shake their head, looking no less disappointed. “Their anniversary is in two days. I spent a week helping him plan the most romantic and memorable proposal ever and he got fucking trashed and ruined _everything_.”

“Yikes.”

“He is going to regret this so much in the morning,” Pidge sighed. “If he can even remember it.”

“Well, what’s done is done,” Lance said wisely (or at least he thought it was wise- who knew what was coming out of his mouth at this point). “And besides, look how happy they are.”

They all looked, watching as Matt finally managed to slip the ring onto Shiro’s finger. They were both laughing, drunk on happiness and adrenaline (and booze). Even Pidge couldn’t help but smile. Love was a bright thing at 2am.

______________________

  
**McLance:  
guess waht ;)))))**

**McLance:  
ur bro jtst got engaged haha what a nerrd**

**McLance:  
oh man i hop im bridesman**

**McLance:  
bestmaid?**

**McLance:  
bestman!!1 i am thebest man so i bettr be his bestmn or ill liek die llol**

_Egglord:  
HE FUCKING WHAT_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was all written at like 1am lol sorry for my bad writing :'''') if u havent seen the movie 'the room' already u should (only for ppl 16+) also look up the rules for watching it beforehand for the best experience- note that the word best is used completely ironically. thanks for reading <3 <3

**Author's Note:**

> ahahaha im so sorry this is terrible and very self indulgent. idk when it will update so just.... bookmark it I guess? If u want?


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